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Vodka not made from potatoes or grain may have to be rebranded. Baltic states want European Commission protection for what, its politicians insist, are the only true ingredients. A spokesman for the British drinks firm Diageo is unimpressed: “Research shows that consumers don’t know what vodka is made from and don’t care,” he says. The mischievous, Baltic-suggested alternative may change that, of course: White spirit, the common name for paint-remover.

Mount Everest is turning into a plaything for testosterone-fuelled business types with £25,000 to blow on a guided trip to the summit. But that doesn’t detract from the extraordinary achievement